Imam laughs off talk of Muslim political partyElsadi says online survey was purely for lobbying purposes

Imam Mohammad Elsadi denied speculation that he is testing the waters on the possibility of setting up an Islamic party with the aim of having the first Muslim MP in five years' time.

The head of the Maltese Muslim community issued the denial when the Times of Malta sought clarification regarding a Facebook post in which he urged Muslim residents with the right to vote to furnish him with their personal details.

Mr Elsadi insisted the "project" was aimed to determine the strength of the Muslim community for "lobbying purposes".

In his post, uploaded last Saturday, the imam said an exercise was being carried out to have an accurate picture of the "exact" number of eligible Maltese Muslim voters, "to be used for the common good of the Muslim community".